Are Fishing Licences a Good or Bad idea?

[Member]

Understand the posts above, however I just don't like paying for something that we've been doing for free since we climbed down out of the trees. Fish breed on their own, we are hunter / gatherers, we hunt them & eat them. Why should they be taxed?

Trouble is, since some people have crawled out of the trees, they haven't travelled far from them.  A fishing license is not a tax, it is a license fee.  Look back in history and see the fishery as it was, and how man has now decimated it in many areas.  Without stocking, which is funded by license fees, we wouldn't have a fishery.  With unabated shamatuer fishermen, selling their catches, we wouldn't have a fishery.  Without fisheries officers stopping the illegal netters, we wouldn't have a fishery.  The way the SIP scheme is written, a governement that is even as incompetent as our current one, cannot get it's sticky fingers on the majority of the funds.

[Member]

Good post Dale, you're right about how limited is the journey some have made from the evolutionary tree. You don't have to look far to find them either. The law really is only for the law abiding, as locks only keep honest people out. There needs to be much harder enforcement of existing laws, but if a license goes toward buying out some of the borderline pro's who are barely making wages, and helps with enforcement, I reckon that's just one of the possible benefits to a license.
JD

[Member]

if we implement a licence scheme we do not have the manpower to inforce it i have been fishing for 40 years and have only ever been inspected once and that was for my sip,so if they implement one the majourity of the funds will go to enforceing the scheme instead of putting the funds into byback etc. if a tax was introduced on fishing and boating items people will buy more over the net and bypass the tax ,hence we loose both ways. if the government put say $5 on every boat rego and put that money into byback they wont be forking out for extra enforcement officers and equipment and the money can go straight to work,queensland have the most amount of boats per head in australia.i live on the downs i dont mind paying the extra on my two boats to go to byback and keep our sip scheme. 

[Member]

I wonder how a guy with a ski-boat, or an offshore cruiser or a jet ski would feel about having to pay an extra $5 per year to improve a fishery he  doesn't use.

[Member]

All excellent points of veiws Gents....and people are really thinking about the future of their hobby, lifestyle, sport and/or passion (or reason to get away from the missus and kids). The finding of funds for anything the government provides ATM is a task destined to tears. Wheteher it is through poor management, extremely large reconstruction costs or just plain 'everything is just more expensive - even for the government' - one thing is for certain money is tight.

I would also like to put to bed an old myth...a furphy that loves being thrown around and that is " Boating & Fisheires Patrol have only inspected me once or twice in ten years ....therefore......they aren't doing their job or there isn't enough of them".  Firstly, you are right - there isn't enough of them. They like everyone in todays workforce could enjoy the swelling of their ranks, just as much as the police, public health providers, or even private enterprise, but that doesn't stop them doing their job. I will offer you some facts - in the halcyon days of the early 1990's when there was 11 QB&FP (maybe even Harbours & Marine days...) staff on the Gold Coast and 21 staff in the Cairns office - compliance to fisheries and boating safety legislation stood at something like 95-98%. i can recall one summer holiday Saturday in early 1990's, checking over 500 vessels and talking to over 100 people on the Broadwater - i believe there was no details taken about any non-compliance and only a few warnings given about 'ratty' life-jackets or other small issues. In 2011, there are (I think) about 6 or 7 staff on the Goldie and about the same in Cairns.....guess what ....compliance still sits at 95-98%.
I put this down to several things - the Fishwatch hotline ( and the public) - QB&FP could not and would not function as an enforcemnent agency without the help of Mr Joe Public and those who are willing to say " No, that is not right...I am going to do something about it". There are many out there who say " No, that is not right..." but do nothing about it.
Secondly, the QB&FP staff that the Queensland public pay for, are the best - bar none...trained and equipped of any of the State government fisheries & boating enforcement officers - bar none !!  The WA guys are very good and the other States are also good but the Queensland QBFP personnel are by far the best trained enforcement officers in their field. Ask how many are getting poached by Customs, Coastwatch, Federal Police, State Police agencies. They are trained and mentored through the probationary and training programmes better than any other. Which leads me to why they have remained efficient and compliant-focussed whilst losing staff - they have the tools and training to target those customers that most likely fit the profile of non-compliance. I always hear folk say - Fisheries never doing there job...I've never been checked. I will bet you $100 grundy that even if you were pulled over and checked by qb&fp they would find nothing wrong with your boat, your catch  or your licensing...therefore they aren't seen - is a Furphy!!!

Where was this all going....ah yes........ License or No License.......It would take a very very brave Minister to put the Licensing Option on the table in Queensland...I think old Tom Burns ...may have got away with it, but an untrustwrothy Queensland government and a carbon-copy (sorry about the pun !!!) Opposition - and a alternative Green vote that is far more frightening than either Labor or LNP. I just can see a License on the horizon. Those who have pointed out the excellent SIPS program, the benefits from that scheme and some kudos for the public servants that run it - why... thank you. And yes 25% administrative costs appears high but I can debate that in another place....

Cheers   Fishfolk

[Member]

  
Thanks for the insight SP. 

cheers,

[Member]

we already pay via our rego..so does anyone really think they would drop that if a RFL is introduced? I doubt it.

Scott..we have been down this path before..comparing NSW figures is ridiculous..more people down there and less coastline..so how about working out actual figures for Qld. I will fight against a general rfl ..it would just be another Govt grab.

I am amazed at how many people are in favour of paying more taxes..personally I don't want any more...call it s alicense or a tax..all the same..just more money going into Govt coffers.

BUT..if it was introduced..who would manage it..who would be on this so called board? Would every license holder be able to vote for the management committee or would it just be another jobs for the boys eg Sunfish parking their butts on it.

SIPS works well..leave it alone and no more taxes.

[Member]

There have been some very good comments on this thread and obviously there are more than a few deep thinkers among us. The facts are that NSW is really the only valid model to compare with. Add to the the fact that the 2 states share common borders and it's not too hard to see why the comparison is made. It still comes down to the fact that WE do not have enough say in our own recreation. The current mob inCanberra saw to that when funding was cut to recfish. Yes the system works well in NSW but is not without flaws; eg license money being used for research that should have come from DPI/ Fisheries budget. But it does work. The devil as always is in the detail and until we can extract gold plated guarantees we won't be making any progress. In the meantime the pro's will continue to pillage the estuaries, and haul the beaches during the Bream spawn. Yes this IS a Freshwater site but anyone who thinks the two disiplines can be totally isolated is living under a rock. Fisho's are by thier nature individualists and there fore we never seem to be able to unite, not even within the confines of a fishing club. If you want a bottom line then this is it; Unless we are able to present a united front to the pollies we are always going to be playing catch up.
End of rant.
John

[Member]

Well said takrat.  As for me, I voted for I don't really like it but I guess there has got to have a fishing license.  This keeps everything regulated.  But just like what Takrat sait, fishers should begin with a unite front first.